Tie and belt rack



1957 N. A. DODICH 3,335,872

TIE AND BELT RACK Filed Aug. 5, 1965 nnnnnfrhnnn v. muswrcz E/ L 5 /\//CH04/95 H- 000/411 BY 4%,WY-M

' ATTORNEY$ United States Patent 3,335,872 TIE AND BELT RACK Nicholas A. Dodich, 23529 Calabasas Road, Calabasas, Calif. 91302 Filed Aug. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 476,850 Claims. (Cl. 21186) This invention relates to a tie and belt rack.

The object of the invention is to provide such a rack which is pleasing in appearance and economical to make and sell, and which at the same time may readily be mounted on a clothes hanging bar in a closet or the like. A further object is to provide such a device which will not mar either a closet pole or the surrounding walls and shelves, which will maintain an adequate spacing between clothing hung on the bar and the articles hung on my rack, and which will not deviate from a horizontal position even though the closet pole on which it is mounted may be capable of rotation.

In order to carry out these objectives I provide a pair of vertical posts, each of which is provided with a pair of flanges extending for a substantial distance at right angles to the post, and opposed in such a way that when the posts are moved together the closet pole is clamped between the flanges. This structure offers a very firm frictional engagement with the pole. Because the extent of the flanges along the pole is greater than the length of the rods on which ties and belts are hung, hangers resting on the pole are kept away from the ties and belts hanging on the rods. This avoids wrinkling of the ties, prevents the ties and belts from being dislodged when clothing is removed or put back on the closet pole, and keeps the sliding bar portion of my device free to slide forwardly so that a tie or belt may be selected for use.

In addition, the sliding bar portion of my device on which the pegs'for hanging ties and belts are mounted, is provided with a groove which ends a short distance from the ends of the bar, and the channel which supports the bar is provided'with a post which enters the groove and thus provides a stop limiting movement of the bar in each direction. By this means I ensure that the bar will not be pushed back in the closet far enough to injure the wall surface at the back of the closet, or pulled forwardly far enough to withdraw the bar from the channel. This structure also prevents injury to the bar itself. The weight of the bar is carried on a shorter length of the slide as it is progressively pulled outwardly and at the same time the leverage of the weight on the bar increases. My stop assures that it will not be pulled so far out that the remaining length of the channel and flange support is inadequate for support.

Finally, I provide a brace extending upwardly from one of the posts of the clamp in a direction to engage a shelf or other fixed member in the closet. The brace extends upwardly to engage the shelf when the bar of my device is in horizontal position, and accordingly it keeps the rack from rotating, whether or not the closet pole is rotatable.

Because of the closet pole is engaged by flat flanges rather than by a set screw, the closet pole is not marred, regardless of how many times my device is applied and removed.

FIG. 1 is a side view of my device with portions broken away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of my device.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of my device on line 33 of FIG. 1.

As shown in the drawings, my device consists of a bar which is provided with laterally extending rods or egs 11. Each of the rods desirably extends through the bar and has free ends on each side of the bar which may be used for hanging belts, ties, or the like. The free 3,335,872 Patented Aug. 15, 1967 ice ends are desirably provided with enlarged heads 12 to prevent the ties and belts from slipping off the rods 11.

The bar 10 is slidably supported in a downwardly opening channel 13. Channel 13 is provided with inturned marginal flanges 14 and 15 which are slidably engaged with grooves 16 and 17 so that bar 10 may be moved from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2, thus bringing the ties and belts on rods 11 forward toward the user so that they are no longer between the clothes hung on hangers on closet pole 18.

Bar 10 is also provided with a slot 19 having ends 19a and 1917. A screw 20 is mounted in the upper surface 21 of channel 13 to provide a stud extending into slot 19. In this case the stud is the free end of bolt 20 but other structure could be provided to interact with ends 19a and 19b of slot 19. It will be seen that because of this structure it is not possible to push the bar 10 farther into the closet after bolt 20 engages slot end 19a. The length of bar 10 is desirably chosen to be similar to the length of the conventional coat hanger for which closets are generally designed, and accordingly stop 20 serves to prevent the bar from being pushed in far enough to damage the rear wall of the closet. By the same token, the interaction of bolt 20 with end 19b of slot 19 prevents bar 10 from being pulled forwardly far enough to disengage groove 16 and 17 from flanges 14 and 15 of channel 13, and prevents bar 10 from being withdrawn far enough so that undue leverage is placed on the grooves and flanges. If the engagement between the grooves and flanges is too short, even the small weight of bar 10 and the ties and belts will exert great leverage on the sliding connection and may cause breakage. The presence of stop 20 prevents this.

Just forward of the center of channel 13 a post 22 is mounted to extend vertically from upper surface 21 of channel 13. Post 22 is provided with a pair of flanges 23 and 24 which may desirably take the form of an angle extending laterally of post 22 in both directions. In referred form of my device post 22 is notched to receive angular member 25 and screws are used to secure the angular member to the post 22 as best shown in FIG. 1.

Post 22 is provided with a pair of screw-threaded studs 27 and 28 which extend parallel to channel 13 and are fixedly secured in post 22 at their respective ends.

A second post 29 is provided with a pair of bores 30 and 31 to receive studs 27 and 28 respectively. Stud 27 is sufliciently long to extend through post 29 and to receive a wing nut 32 which bears against the surface of post 29 and clamps it to post 22. Stud 28 carries a nut 33 between post 22 and post 29 to serve as a stop against movement of the bottom of post 29 with respect to post 22. When nut 33 is properly adjusted it becomes a fulcrum for post 29 so that as wing nut 32 is tightened, pressure is exerted against closet pole 18. Post 29 is notched at 34 to receive a pair of flanges 35 and 36 which desirably are provided in the form of an angle member 37, in the same manner that the angle member 25 is made up of flanges 23 and 24.

The width of flanges 23, 24, 35 and 36 is so proportioned that each flange is narrower than the radius of a relatively small closet pole or bar so that substantially any closet pole may be used as a support for my device.

The structure described gives my device a substantial line of engagement at four circumferentially spaced locations around the closet pole at pressure high enough to assure that the device will not slip around the pole. However, some poles are mounted in such a way as to be rotatable. To guard against rotation of my device, I provide a bore 38 in post 29, in which I mount a brace 39 of the proper length to engage a shelf 40 or other fixed surface within the closet. Thus rotation about the axis of the 3 closet pole is prevented, despite rotatability of the pole itself.

The lateral extent of flanges 23, 24, 35 and 36 is de' sirably greater than the lateral extent of the rods 11 so that any hangers on clothes pole 18 will be kept far enough from my device to permit the clothes on the hangers to be free of interference by rods 11 and heads 12 on which ties, belts and the like are hung. This will avoid disarrangement of the clothes on the hangers and of the clothes on the rods 11, and will permit easy withdrawal and replacement of 'bar 10 from its position beneath clothes pole 18.

I claim:

1. A tie rack for mounting on a clothes hanging rod comprising in combination a horizontal bar, a downwardly opening channel having inturned marginal flanges, said bar being provided with slots into which said flanges are slidably received, a vertically extending post approximately centrally located on the top surface of said channel, said post being provided with a pair of flanges having angularly related faces and extending normal to said channel, a second post parallel to said first post and spaced therefrom, said second post being provided with a second pair of flanges having angularly related faces and opposed to said first pair of flanges, and clamping means adapted to vary the spacing between said posts to urge said pairs of flanges into engagement with the surface of a support, said bar being provided with laterally extending pegs of sufiicient length so that ties and belts may be hung thereon, said first and second pairs of flanges extending normal to said bar for a distance greater than the length of said pegs.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said clamping means comprises at least one screw-threaded stud mounted in one said post, a bore in the other said post aligned to receive each said stud, a nut on one said threaded stud be tween said posts, and a nut on said threaded stud on the side of said post provided with a bore with is remote from the post in which said stud is mounted.

3. The device of claim 2 in which separate screw 4 means are provided to receive each said nut.

4. The device of claim 1 in which said bar is provided with a groove extending axially along the upper surface of the bar and terminating at points spaced from both ends of the bar, and a post extending downwardly from the upper surface of said channel and slidably received within said groove whereby to provide a stop limiting sliding movement of the .bar within said channel in each direction.

5. A tie rack for mounting on a clothes hanging rod comprising in combination a horizontal bar, a downwardly opening channel having inturned marginal flanges, said bar being provided with slots into which said flanges are slidably received, a vertically extending post appr'oximate ly centrally located on the top surface of said channel, said post being provided with a pair of flanges having angularly related faces and extending normal to said channel, a second post parallel to said first post and spaced therefrom, said second post being provided with a second pair of flanges having angularly related faces and opposed to said first pair of flanges, and clamping means adapted to vary the spacing between said posts to urge said pairs of flanges into engagement with the surface of a support, said bar being provided with laterally extending pegs of suflicient length so that ties and belts may be hung thereon, said post being provided with a bore spaced axially of the bar from said pair of flanges on said post, and a brace mounted in the bore and adapted to abut a fixed object to prevent rotation of said post about the axis of said support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,319 11/1891 Loehner et al. 248-2262 885,001 4/1908 Cameron 104-111 2,865,585 12/1958 Beyer et a1. 29-256 2,985,311 5/1961 Abel 211-86 3,124,253 3/1964 Petrich 21194 3,175,697 3/ 1965 Kelly 211-113 0 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TIE RACK FOR MOUNTING ON A CLOTHES HANGING ROD COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HORIZONTAL BAR, A DOWNWARDLY OPENING CHANNEL HAVING INTURNED MARGINAL FLANGES, SAID BAR BEING PROVIDED WITH SLOTS INTO WHICH SAID FLANGES ARE SLIDABLY RECEIVED, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING POST APPROXIMATELY CENTRALLY LOCATED ON THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID CHANNEL, SAID POST BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF FLANGES HAVING ANGULARLY RELATED FACES AND EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID CHANNEL, A SECOND POST PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST POST AND SPACED THEREFROM, SAID SECOND POST BEING PROVIDED WITH A SECOND PAIR OF FLANGES HAVING ANGULARLY RELATED FACES AND OPPOSED TO SAID FIRST PAIR OF FLANGES, AND CLAMPING MEANS ADAPTED TO VARY THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID POSTS TO URGE SAID PAIRS OF FLANGES INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACE OF A SUPPORT, SAID BAR BEING PROVIDED WITH LATERALLY EXTENDING PEGS OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH SO THAT TIES AND BELTS MAY BE HUNG THEREON, SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF FLANGES EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID BAR FOR A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID PEGS. 